High school back to normal after swine flu

Two students with swine flu have returned to class

Rockville High School's principal said life has returned to normal following a three-day closure at the beginning of this month when a student came down with swine flu.

"I think the teachers may be scrambling a little to make up for the three days we missed, but we're back in the swing of things," Debra S. Munk said Monday.

The school was closed May 1, 4 and 5 after county officials announced a student had likely contracted H1N1 virus, or swine flu. A second probable case involving a student was reported by county health officials May 5.

Munk said it was confirmed that both male students had swine flu. The first student returned to school Friday and the second returned Monday.

There have been no more reported probable or confirmed cases at Rockville High, Munk said.

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported this week that 23 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the state and four other cases have been reported but not yet confirmed.

In addition to the students at Rockville High School, two other cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Montgomery County in adults and one other adult case is reported as probable.

The school reopened May 6 after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) changed its tack and recommended that schools not close when a probable case of H1N1 virus, or swine flu, is reported or confirmed.

Munk said the closure was difficult, but teachers made sure students kept up with their lessons by e-mailing or posting assignments to the Internet.

"It was a great test of our systems and I think Montgomery County learned a lot from it," she said. "They since then have put together recommendations for distance learning in case anything like this ever happens again."

She said the only negative impact was on school sports teams who missed games, meets and practices during the closure. All activities at the school were cancelled during the closure.

Stan Thomas, president of Rockville High's PTSA, said he was "elated" when the school reopened.

"I thought that was the right decision and I sent my two sons back with no trepidation," he said.

Thomas noted he supported the three-day closure, but would have been "perturbed if it had gone on any longer." He also commended county school system officials for advocating to reopen the school before the CDC reversed its decision.

Thomas thinks the closure will have little impact on students since they received their assignments at home. He added Munk did a good job of keeping parents and students informed of any new developments.

"I think she more than anyone kept everyone calm, especially when we were looking at a 14-day shutdown," he said.

The CDC had originally suggested that schools with probable cases of swine flu close for two weeks.

Christine Zafonte, a Rockville High psychology teacher, said the school has "definitely gone back to normal."

"Everyone's pretty much back on track," she said. "You don't even hear the kids talking about swine flu anymore."

Zafonte said it was the correct decision to keep the school closed for three days.

"We really didn't know how contagious the flu was and they were trying to protect the safety of students and teachers," she said.

Molly Carey, a 17-year-old senior at the school, said school "pretty much picked up where it left off" and the only concerns students had were missing review time for Advanced Placement testing.

"No one really cares that much about the swine flu because it's just like the regular flu now," she said, but added she has noticed classmates using hand sanitizer more frequently.